254 Harvard Psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar's Guide to Being Happy with an Imperfect Life
Release Date: 07/17/2025
254 Harvard Psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar's Guide to Being Happy with an Imperfect Life
Behind the Brilliance
THE SHOW Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, Harvard-trained psychologist and author of multiple bestsellers including Happier, joins Lisa to explore the psychology and habits that lead to happiness in modern times. He uncovers the myths that keep successful people miserable and why our pursuit of the next achievement isn’t the answer. He shares his personal journey from academic achievement to profound unhappiness, breaks down the difference between experiencing emotions and being consumed by them, and offers a counterintuitive approach to emotional health through passive observation. The conversation...
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253 Anne-Laure Le Cunff on Using Brain Science to Design a Better Career
Behind the Brilliance
SUMMARY Anne-Laure Le Cunff, founder of Ness Labs and author of Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World, joins Lisa to reveal her unconventional career journey from Google engineer to startup founder to neuroscience student to successful entrepreneur with Ness Labs. Growing up outside Paris with parents who prioritized financial security, she landed a dream job at Google with the status and paycheck that signaled success. But she soon realized that the ladder she was climbing was leaning against the wrong wall. This conversation explores cognitive scripts that keep us...
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252 Kajabi CEO Ahad Khan on Work-Life Integration, Values-Driven Leadership, and the Future of the Creator Economy
Behind the Brilliance
THE SHOW Ahad Khan, CEO of Kajabi, shares how his Midwestern roots shaped his approach to building software for "regular people," his experiences navigating investment banking, startup acquisitions, and the creator economy. Ahad reveals his philosophy on people-first decision making, the power of work-life integration over balance, and why choosing character over compensation has been the thread connecting every major career move. The conversation explores the evolution of the creator economy, the challenges of remote leadership, and practical strategies for staying present as both a CEO and...
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251 Dr. Ellen Hendriksen on the Science-Backed Way to End Perfectionism Without Lowering Your Standards
Behind the Brilliance
THE SHOW In this episode of Behind the Brilliance, Dr. Ellen Hendriksen, clinical psychologist and author of How to Be Enough, joins the show to explore the nuances of perfectionism—from its seductive productivity perks to its hidden emotional costs. She shares her own journey from high-achieving student to recovering perfectionist, breaks down the psychology of procrastination and emotional suppression, and offers practical strategies for redefining self-worth, navigating achievement hangovers, and aligning with intrinsic values. The conversation also touches on the loneliness epidemic,...
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250 - Defying the Odds - Season 14 Recap
Behind the Brilliance
Lisa summarizes Season 14, Defying the Odds, with reflections on the strategies shared and helpful recaps. 240 – Dr. Andrew Newberg 241 – Cin Fabre 242 – Tyler Denk 243 – Jim Fielding 244 – Dr. Valerie Daniels-Carter 245 – Simone Stolzoff 246 – Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg 247 – Andrew Barnes 248 – Jamila Souffrant 249 – Kevin Kelly Subscribe to CUE at to be the first to know when the new season streams.
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249 Kevin Kelly on Living and Working at the Intersection of Passion, Purpose, and Profitability
Behind the Brilliance
THE SHOW Kevin Kelly is a modern creative pioneer. He was a polymath before it was cool. His career as a writer, founder, photographer, and editor extends across industries and continents. A world traveler and lifelong learner, Kevin’s ideas such as 1000 True Fans have inspired a generation of builders and artists to exercise full agency over their creative pursuits. Kevin was on a short list of dream guests I’ve long held for Behind the Brilliance, and our conversation did not disappoint. He was candid and thoughtful as we covered a wide range of topics including career and life...
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248 Jamila Souffrant on Redefining and Achieving Financial Freedom
Behind the Brilliance
THE SHOW Jamila Souffrant’s expertise in personal finance is informed by her own experience turning financial uncertainty into financial freedom. She and her husband saved $169,000 in 2 years and redefined their future with smart money decisions. Now she’s guiding people from diverse backgrounds to more fulfilled lives through her personal finance podcast, Journey to Launch, and her new book, Your Journey to Financial Freedom. Jamila’s work has been featured in Money Magazine, CNBC, and more. The Journey To Launch Podcast was listed by the NYTimes as a podcast to help you get...
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247 Andrew Barnes on why (and how) a 4 Day Work Week is the secret to success at work
Behind the Brilliance
A dynamic and growing group of companies and organizations are moving to a 4 day work week. Andrew Barnes is the pioneer behind this movement. It all started with an experiment to see what would happen if his team worked 4 days instead of 5. The results were so breathtaking that he never looked back. Now there's an entire organization - including research, a book, and tools - dedicated to making the work world more efficient. Through his company – New Zealand's largest corporate trustee company, Perpetual Guardian – Andrew announced a 4 day week trial, with staff receiving an...
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246 Thomas Wedell-Wedellsbord on the Science of Effective Problem Solving
Behind the Brilliance
Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg is the author of which was released by Harvard Business Press. He is also the co-author (with Paddy Miller) of , a Harvard Business Review Press book on the art of driving innovation in regular organizations. Thomas has worked with managers in nearly all parts of the globe, including China, India, Russia, Singapore, Britain, France and his native country, Denmark. His research has been featured in Harvard Business Review, The Economist, The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, BBC Radio, Bloomberg Businessweek and the Financial Times. His work on innovation led HR...
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245 Simone Stolzoff on the better ways to integrate work, life, and identity for more success and satisfaction
Behind the Brilliance
THE SHOW Simone Stolzoff is a designer, and workplace expert who is the former design lead at the global innovation firm IDEO. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and many other publications. He’s the author of The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work. This conversation is, in my opinion, among the most important in the history of the show. It’s not particularly dramatic, but it’s hard for me to overstate the importance of the ideas and practical applications we discussed around life design, work, the relationship...
info_outlineTHE SHOW
Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, Harvard-trained psychologist and author of multiple bestsellers including Happier, joins Lisa to explore the psychology and habits that lead to happiness in modern times. He uncovers the myths that keep successful people miserable and why our pursuit of the next achievement isn’t the answer. He shares his personal journey from academic achievement to profound unhappiness, breaks down the difference between experiencing emotions and being consumed by them, and offers a counterintuitive approach to emotional health through passive observation. The conversation covers everything from the achievement trap and social media's impact on happiness to practical parenting strategies and the future of leadership in a post-pandemic world.
Behind his brilliance: Curiosity and passionate effort
Visit BehindtheBrilliance.com for the show notes
TOPICS COVERED
Why successful people often feel secretly empty
The myth of constant happiness and toxic positivity culture
Passive observation: witnessing emotions without being consumed by them
The psychology of "enough" and escaping achievement addiction
Why fighting your feelings makes them persist
The role of curiosity in emotional wellbeing and personal growth
Social media's impact on perfectionism and life satisfaction
How to create space between stimulus and response during overwhelming moments
The difference between hard work and effort in personal development
Turning emotional dissatisfaction into positive life changes
Modern loneliness epidemic and the paradox of digital connection
Building authentic relationships based on values rather than demographics
The symbiotic relationship between leadership and management
Why power and control are ineffective leadership tools
Parenting strategies for raising emotionally intelligent children
The importance of modeling emotional regulation for kids
How to develop discipline without relying on motivation or willpower
Why retirement isn't the answer to work dissatisfaction
The value of experimentation and changing periods to question marks in life